Article

Charging the iPod shuffle

By Kirk McElhearn ● Thursday, May 19, 2005

Ask iLounge offers readers the opportunity to get answers to their iPod-, iPhone-, iPad-, iTunes-, or Apple TV-related questions from a member of the iLounge editorial team. We'll answer several questions here each week, and of course, you can always get help with more immediate concerns from the iLounge Discussion Forums. Submit your questions for consideration using our Ask iLounge Submit Form. We reserve the right to edit questions for grammar, spelling, and length.

Q: I recently bought an iPod shuffle and I am unsure of how to charge it. Does it charge through the USB port on my laptop? Or do I need to purchase an iPod charger?

- Rebecca

A: If you have a powered USB port on your laptop, then the iPod shuffle charges when it is connected to that port. Your iPod shuffle came with a quick reference card showing the different lights that tell you whether it is charging or not. If you don’t have that card, check this Apple technical document.

If you do not have a powered USB port, then you will need to buy an iPod shuffle charger.

Kirk McElhearn is the author of several books including iPod & iTunes Garage. His blog, Kirkville features articles about the iPod, iTunes, Mac OS X and much more.